"Four different angles on Myanmar’s contemporary conflicts were on offer at the recent 2015 Myanmar/Burma Update, with speakers providing fresh insights into the roots of the Kachin conflict, the use of landmines in Burma, the role of gender in conflict, and the Pa-O-Self-Administrated Zone.
Questioning the view that conflict between the Kachin minority and the Burma military is primarily resource-driven, Dr Costas Laoutides and Dr Anthony Ware of Deakin University suggested that clashes over resources are a manifestation of deeper problems to do with identity.
Laoutides and Ware exposed powerful historical narratives as ideological roots of the conflict, gleaned from fieldwork interviews with key Kachin informants, including state officials and armed group members."

Below is a list of Burma Army activities in Kachin State and Northern Shan State in April, including
attacks, troop movements and resupply operations...For other reports on the conflict in Kachin and other states, go to http://www.freeburmarangers.org

"This Project Maje report provides a summary of current (as of January 18, 2013) information on the use of aircraft in the North War. For background on the origins of the conflict, and maps, see Project Maje's reports The North War: A Kachin Conflict Compilation Report (August 2011) and The North War, Part II: The Kachin Conflict Continues (December 2011.) This update report is intended as convenient background information for journalists, military analysts, and others interested in the situation in Kachinland..."

"The past few weeks have seen some of the heaviest fighting in Myanmar's decades-long civil war with government forces launching determined attacks against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), an ethnic force in the far north of the country. And for the first time ever, the government has used helicopter gunships and attack aircraft against the country's ethnic rebels. Most of the fighting is taking place around the KIA's headquarters at the border town of Laiza near China, and the government seems determined to crush the Kachin resistance and gain control over the area now administered by the rebels.
The military campaign also sends signals to about a dozen other ethnic armies which have entered into ceasefire agreements with the government. In a statement issued on January 1, the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an umbrella organisation of 12 such ethnic groups based mainly on the Thai border in the south, said they felt threatened by the offensive as well - and called for unity among Myanmar's multitude of traditionally factious ethnic militias. "If we are not able to act collectively now we will be destroyed individually," said a participant at the meeting that adopted the statement..."

"LAIZA - Helicopter gunships hover in the sky above a battlefield. The constant sound of explosions and gunfire pierce the night for an estimated 100,000 refugees and internally displaced people. Military hospitals are full of wounded government soldiers, while bridges, communication lines and other crucial infrastructure lie in war-torn ruins.
The images and sounds on the ground in Myanmar's northern Kachin State shatter the impression of peace, reconciliation and a steady march towards democracy that President Thein Sein's government has bid to convey to the outside world. In reality, the situation in this remote corner of one of Asia's historically most troubled nations is depressingly normal..."

Deep in the wilds of northern Myanmar's Kachin state a brutal civil war has intensified over the past year between government forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).
People & Power sent filmmakers Jason Motlagh and Steve Sapienza to Myanmar (formerly Burma) to investigate why the conflict rages on, despite the political reforms in the south that have impressed Western governments and investors now lining up to stake their claim in the resource-rich Asian nation.

• In the past year, the Tatmadaw has deployed nearly 25% of its battalions to Kachin
State, escalating its war with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and bringing
further suffering to civilian populations in Kachin State and Northern Shan State.
• Tatmadaw soldiers have constantly targeted civilians in Kachin State and Northern
Shan States as part of their military operations against the KIA. Human rights abuses
have included extrajudicial killings, rape of women, arbitrary arrests, torture, forced
displacement, the use of human shields, forced labor, and the confiscation and
destruction of property. All of these systematic abuses would be considered war
crimes and/or crimes against humanity under international law.
• The ongoing conflict has displaced about 75,000 people, including at least 10,000
refugees who crossed the border into China. Despite the severity of the situation, the
regime has frustrated relief efforts, severely restricting humanitarian access to local
and international organizations.
• The KIA’s political leadership, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), has made
repeated attempts to negotiate a lasting peace in Kachin State. However, the regime
has rejected the KIO’s request to discuss long-term political solutions prior to a
ceasefire agreement.
BACKGROUND: 2008 constitution, 2010 elections, BGF, energy projects, and human
rights abuses

KEY DEVELOPMENTS:
"While ceasefire negotiations are taking place in some ethnic areas, attacks continue in Kachin State, Northern Burma. The Burma Army is pressing its attacks in Kachin State with over 100 battalions deployed. There are over 50,000 Kachin people displaced, over 60 Kachin civilians killed and 100 Kachin soldiers killed. Burma Army casualties are unknown, but estimated at 1,000 wounded and killed. Along with the KIO, WPN, Partners and other organizations, the Kachin FBR teams are helping those in need"

"Ethnic Kachin fighters are locked in battle against Burmese forces after a government offensive on the border town of Laiza – where the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) is based – sparked fears that authorities are planning a final push to oust the rebels.
Fighting has been escalating since mid-April, when several rounds of peace talks – forming part of the government's much-heralded moves toward reform – reached no tangible outcome.
The leadership of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) – Christians who have fought, on and off, for self-determination since 1961 – are now sandwiched between Burmese artillery and the Chinese border, which runs directly through the centre of Laiza..."

KEY DEVELOPMENTS:
"Burma Army fighting continues in Kachin State since the original outbreak of violence on 9 June 2011, when Burma Army soldiers broke the ceasefire previously held with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). As Burma Army attacks continue, the KIA attempts to defend the population and numerous clashes have occurred between Burma Army and KIA soldiers. Burma Army soldiers have also repeatedly attacked civilian villages, often occupying and looting the village afterwards and forcing villagers to flee. Free Burma Ranger teams have collected multiple reports of extrajudicial killing, imprisonment and torture. There are over 50,000 Internally Displaced People in camps on the border, with thousands more hiding in the jungle."

'When Burmese President Thein Sein took office in March 2011, he said that over 60 years of armed conflict have put Burma’s
ethnic populations through “the hell of untold miseries.” Just three months later, the Burmese armed forces resumed military
operations against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), leading to serious abuses and a humanitarian crisis affecting tens of
thousands of ethnic Kachin civilians.
“Untold Miseries”: Wartime Abuses and Forced Displacement in Kachin State is based on over 100 interviews in Burma’s Kachin
State and China’s Yunnan province. It details how the Burmese army has killed and tortured civilians, raped women, planted
antipersonnel landmines, and used forced labor on the front lines, including children as young as 14-years-old. Soldiers have
attacked villages, razed homes, and pillaged properties. Burmese authorities have failed to authorize a serious relief effort in
KIA-controlled areas, where most of the 75,000 displaced men, women, and children have sought refuge. The KIA has also been
responsible for serious abuses, including using child soldiers and antipersonnel landmines.
Human Rights Watch calls on the Burmese government to support an independent international mechanism to investigate
violations of international human rights and humanitarian law by all parties to Burma’s ethnic armed conflicts. The government
should also provide United Nations and humanitarian agencies unhindered access to all internally displaced populations, and
make a long-term commitment with humanitarian agencies to authorize relief to populations in need.'

"...Since 9 June 2011, Kachin State has seen open warfare between the Kachin Independence Army and the Tatmadaw (Burma Army). The Kachin Independence Organisation signed a ceasefire agreement with the regime in 1994 and since then had lived in relative peace up until 2008 and the creation of a new constitution. This constitution enshrines the power of the military and demands that all armed forces, including those under ceasefire agreements, relinquish control to the head of the Burma Army.
This, combined with economic exploitation by China in Kachin territory, especially the construction of the Myitsone Hydropower Dam, left the Kachin Independence Organisation with very little alternative but to return to armed resistance to prevent further abuses of its people and their territory’s natural resources. Despite this however, the political situation since the beginning of hostilities has changed significantly.
There is little doubt that one of the main reasons for the continuing offensive was the Burmese Government’s attempts to control all ethnic armed forces through its head of defence services. That said, however, the principle reason for both the KIO’s reaction to increased Burma Army deployment, the breakdown of the ceasefire, and the resumption of open warfare in Kachin areas, was also the previous Regime’s attempts to secure China’s lucrative investment projects at the expense of ethnic rights and land..."

KEY DEVELOPMENTS:
* The Burma Army is currently attacking within six miles of Mai Ja Yang, a city in Kachin State that is a refuge for over 1,000 displaced people
* The Burma Army is firing an average of 100 mortar rounds per day into this area and is receiving reinforcements.
* Over 40,000 Kachin people now displaced by attacks and more are preparing to run

"Project Maje's previous report, 'The North War: A Kachin Conflict Compilation Report' (August 15, 2011) contained background information on the Kachin conflict and a compilation of articles about it from June-July 2011. This new report includes first hand observations from a November 2011 visit to the conflict area, two interviews and a compilation of news articles from August through early December 2011. Both reports are intended for journalists, aid workers and other researchers who may be interested in the in the conflict situation in northern Burma.
"Project Maje hopes that the ongoing situation in northern Burma, including resource extraction and human rights issues in addition to the KIO conflict, will be covered in increasing depth and scope by journalists and other investigators in the future. For a detailed view of the human rights and IDP situations in the conflict area, Project Maje particularly recommends two recent NGO reports:..."

Executive Summary:
"On 9 June 2011, civil war broke out in northern Burma between the Burma Army and the Kachin
Independence Army (KIA), ending a 17-year long ceasefire agreement. This report presents data
collected from a Partners investigation in southern Kachin State, Burma in October 2011. The
testimony of witnesses and on-site photographs reveal multiple acts perpetrated by Burma Army
battalions 74 and 276 against ethnic Kachin civilians that potentially amount to war crimes and other
extreme crimes. These acts include torture, extrajudicial killing, the specific targeting of civilians,
human shielding, unlawful arrest, unlawful detention, forced labor, forced relocation, displacement,
property theft and property destruction.
Witnesses reported that Burma Army soldiers entered Nam Lim Pa village on 8 October 2011.
Men were arrested and detained for forced labor. Women and children were detained in the Roman
Catholic church compound against their will and without provocation or expressed reason.
Violent injuries demonstrate signs of extreme physical abuse and strongly suggest the intentional
infliction of severe pain or suffering while in custody. Civilian casualties included torture and execution.
Eyewitness reports indicate no Kachin Independence Army presence during the time of the attacks.
Villagers were forcibly relocated and displaced by armed soldiers. Houses, offices and churches
were robbed and vandalized, all without justification. At least one home was robbed and burned to
the ground while its owner was arrested and detained.
The results from this fact-finding mission to Kachin State reveal evidence of crimes that potentially
amount to war crimes, perpetrated by the Burma Army against ethnic Kachin civilians and their
properties in October 2011. Based on the incidents documented in this report, the Burma Army
is in contravention of its legal obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law.
Considering the nature and scale of these acts in combination with documented abuses in the broader
civil war in Kachin State, the actions of the Burma government and the Burma Army may also amount
to other serious violations, including crimes against humanity. Those responsible must be brought to
justice and held accountable for their actions. Partners makes the following key recommendations:..."

Fighting between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Burma Army broke out on 9 June 2011, ending a 17-year cease-fire agreement between the two groups. As many as 20,000 people have been displaced by the fighting in Kachin State, according to local networks helping IDPs in Laiza. KIA sources have said that the number of standing Burma Army battalions before the conflict began was 93. Currently there are 113 battalions in Kachin State with more troops on the way, according to KIA sources. Divisions 33, 88, and 99 are currently operating in Kachin State.

"Burmese troops burned down around 50 homes in a village in eastern Kachin state two days ago as they prepare for an offensive against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), despite assertions from fleeing residents that no rebels inhabit the village.
In response, the KIA has told locals living in areas close to the town of Waingmaw to leave, prompting some 3,000 people to join those who fled the razed Aungja village as they make for the border with China.
A DVB reporter in Kachin state said that Burmese army battalions were closing in on the KIA’s Brigade 3 in Sanpai, which was being fiercely defended by the rebels..."

Executive Summary: "At the same time as Thein Sein’s government is engaging in public relations maneuvers designed to make it appear that reform is taking place, its army is perpetrating atrocities against the Kachin people on a widespread and systematic basis. Seven months after the November 2010 elections and four months after the convening of parliament which, in the words of the ruling generals, “completed the country’s transition to a multiparty democracy,” the regime launched a new war in Kachin State and Northern Shan State. After a seventeen year ceasefire, the renewed conflict has brought rampant human rights abuses by the Burma Army including, rape, torture, the use of human minesweepers and the forced displacement of entire villages.
Human rights abuses in Burma are prevalent because of the culture of impunity put in place at the highest levels of government. The Burmese regime continuously fails to investigate human rights abuses committed by its military and instead categorically denies the possibility that abuses are taking place. Attempts to seek justice for the crimes committed against the Kachin people have resulted in responses ranging from “we do not take responsibility for any landmine injuries” to “the higher authorities will not listen to your complaint”.
These human rights violations have led villagers to flee approaching troops, creating tens of thousands of internally displaced persons. The Burmese regime has refused to allow aid groups working inside the country to provide relief to the majority of these displaced people and international groups have failed to provide sufficient cross-border aid, creating a growing humanitarian crisis.
While the international community “waits and sees” whether the Burmese regime will implement genuine democratic reforms, the Kachin people are suffering. The time for waiting and seeing is over: now is the time for the world to act. We call on the international community to:
Demand that the Burmese regime put an end to the atrocities against the Kachin people.•
Provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons and refugees fleeing • the conflict to avert a humanitarian catastrophe.
Support the establishment by the United Nations of a Commission of Inquiry to investigate crimes • against humanity and war crimes in Burma

"Armed conflict in Burma’s Karen, Shan and Kachin States continues to fuel large‐scale
displacement of civilians both internally and into neighbouring countries. Between 5,000 and
7,000 civilians remain in temporary, unofficial sites along the Thai‐Burma border in Thailand's
Tak Province; approximately 20,000 remain internally‐displaced in Kachin State along the border
with China; and thousands have been forced to flee their homes in Shan State due to ongoing
armed conflict. Community‐based groups continue in their efforts to provide assistance to these
populations, who have no access to international protection mechanisms, and little or no
assistance from international humanitarian organisations. The shortage of funding to such
community‐based aid networks is a serious cause for concern, particularly with a high likelihood
of further fighting resulting in more displacement. There is an urgent need for protection
mechanisms and humanitarian assistance for civilians fleeing conflict and human rights abuses in
Burma..."

PHOTO ESSAY..."...The mid-July clashes down from Hkaya Bum camp were the most intense of the nascent conflict. Since then there have been sporadic skirmishes, but apparently without a concerted strategy from the Myanmar military. The two sides have reportedly resumed contacts in recent days, without clear results. Meanwhile, those in Kachin State hold their breath, hoping for real peace and autonomy, not just another ceasefire..."

"This is a resource compilation report which is intended for journalists, aid workers and other researchers who may be interested in the in the June/July 2011 conflict between the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and Burma's military regime in Kachin State, Burma. News stories and documents related to the conflict are categorized and reproduced or linked here, with a list of background information sources. They are in chronological order within each category.
Project Maje hopes that the ongoing situation in northern Burma, including resource extraction and human rights issues in addition to the KIO conflict, will be covered in increasing depth and scope by journalists and other investigators in the future..."

• Despite the 7 November election’s illusory promise of an inclusive democratic
system, the situation in ethnic nationality areas continues to deteriorate...
• In addition to the ongoing offensives against ethnic non-ceasefire groups, the
Tatmadaw increasingly targeted ceasefire groups who rejected the regime’s
Border Guard Force (BGF) scheme...
• In Shan and Kachin States, the Tatmadaw broke ceasefire agreements signed in
1989 and 1994 respectively...
• Ongoing fighting between the Tatmadaw and ethnic ceasefire and non-ceasefire
groups displaced about 13,000 civilians in Kachin State, at least 700 in Northern
Shan State, and forced over 1,800 to flee from Karen State into Thailand...
• Civilians bore the brunt of the Tatmadaw’s military operations, which resulted in
the death of 15 civilians in Northern Shan State and five in Karen State...
Tatmadaw troops gang-raped at least 18 women and girls in Southern Kachin
State...
• Desertion continues to hit Tatmadaw battalions, including BGF units, engaged in
military operations in ethnic areas...
• Reports on the alleged use of chemical weapons by Tatmadaw troops surfaced
during offensives against Shan State Army-North forces...
• In February, in response to the Tatmadaw’s ongoing attacks in ethnic areas, 12
ethnic armed opposition groups, ceasefire groups, and political organizations
agreed to form a new coalition - the Union Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC)...
• The situation for residents living in conflict zones of ethnic States remains grim
as the regime re-launched its ‘four cuts’ policy which targets civilians...
• The situation is likely to continue due to Burma’s constitution and the recently
enacted laws, including the national conscription law.

"Myanmar moved closer to civil war in recent weeks after fighting broke out in Kachin State, a former ceasefire area in the remote northern region. Myanmar's newly elected government now faces ethnic insurgencies on three separate fronts, threatening internal and border security.
There is also the potential for more insurgent groups to take up arms and push their claims against the government. The escalating conflict is not going all the military's way and risks further stunting Myanmar's development and international confidence in its supposed democratic transition..."

KEY DEVELOPMENT:
 Thousands of migrants from Burma and Bangladesh have become stranded in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea since May, increasing media and international attention on displacement and human rights issues in Burma, particularly relating to Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine.
 On May 21 and 22, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with Government of Burma (GoB) officials and civil society leaders in Burma’s capital city of Naypyidaw and Yangon city to discuss the humanitarian situation in Rakhine. At the meeting, Deputy Secretary Blinken urged regional actors to reduce the number of displaced people fleeing the country by improving living conditions in IDP camps.
 Relief agencies expect monsoon rains, which typically start in June and can continue through October, to increase the vulnerability of IDP camp residents in Kachin, Rakhine, and Shan. An estimated 40,000 IDPs in Rakhine live in camps within 500 meters of the coastline, making them particularly vulnerable to heavy rain and flooding, the UN reports.
 To date in FY 2015, USAID has provided nearly $14 million in humanitarian assistance to support activities that strengthen IDP camp management, facilitate access to food and safe drinking water, and improve the health, nutrition, and livelihoods of vulnerable populations in Burma. Additionally, State/PRM has provided nearly $29 million to support Burmese IDPs in Burma and Burmese refugees and asylum seekers in neighboring countries.